England supporters are hopeful - if nervous - about the team's chances against Colombia tonight

England's record in knockout football is poor, going without a win since beating Ecuador in the World Cup in 2006.

After a last minute victory against Tunisia and the 6-1 thumping of Panama in the Group stages, expectant fans are hoping this youthful England team can shrug off the weight of recent history and reach the last eight of the competition.

Josh Smith tweeted: "I have never been so nervous for a England game in my entire life from however far back. Literally want to cry with nerves."

Mark Heelis, from Abingdon, said: "Matchday. Flag up in the garden. Bag of nerves already and theres still 11 hours to kickoff. Huge, huge game but whatever happens we can be proud to have our #ThreeLions? back - it's exciting to watch @England again! Do us proud."

Matt Smith, 28, from Burnley, was in Moscow for the game and was confident of seeing an England win.

The Burnley fan, who has attended every Three Lions game so far, said: "It'll be tougher than everyone expects - they've got some really good individual players and as we've seen by the opening fixtures in the round of 16 so far, anything can happen.

"We've just got to concentrate on doing the job and focus, really. Now that the round of 16 started, it's started to look like there is no better route.

"Before the round of 16 you would have said we wanted this half of the draw - you are talking Switzerland and Sweden being your biggest competition."

England fans are a bag of nerves ahead of the country's crucial match against Colombia this evening

But they will be dwarfed in number and noise by the passionate Colombian fans, with the country estimated to have 50,000 supporters currently in Russia.

Colombia sold the third most tickets to the World Cup with a total of 68,667, over twice as many as England, who were put off by fears of hooliganism, violence and the collapse in Anglo-Russian relations after the poisoning in Salisbury of Sergei Skripal, the Russian former double agent.

With interest rising among England supporters who initially decided to stay at home, prices have spiked as fans try to get to the match.

Touts in Moscow are offering tickets for $900 (£685), while touts on Facebook have also offered England fans tickets for up to £681.

In football-mad Colombia, the match starts at 1pm local time and the streets of Bogota - normally some of the busiest in the world - are expected to be empty.

Shopworker Sofia Spirez, 23, said: “He is the man who frightens us. He can take our dream away.”

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